Which cue helps reduce shoulder impingement when elbows tend to flare during the overhead press?

Which cue helps reduce shoulder impingement when elbows tend to flare during the overhead press?

• A. Keep elbows under the wrists and tuck them in
• B. Flare elbows outward to widen the grip
• C. Lower the bar to the clavicles and drive upward
• D. Lean the torso back to move the bar away from the ceiling

Answer: (A)

During the overhead press, elbow position strongly affects how the shoulder moves. When elbows flare outward, the arm moves into greater abduction and the humeral head can ride up toward the acromion, narrowing the subacromial space and increasing impingement on the rotator cuff tendons. Keeping the elbows under the wrists and tucking them in fixes the alignment so the bar travels more vertically with the arms closer to the body. This promotes a stable scapulohumeral rhythm, helps the scapula stay set in a position that supports the press, and keeps the humeral head centered in the glenoid. In short, this cue reduces the tendency to pinch structures under the acromion by maintaining proper elbow and arm alignment during the lift. The other cues either encourage a wider elbow position or shift the bar path in a way that doesn’t address the impingement mechanism and can introduce other risks.

During the overhead press, elbow position strongly affects how the shoulder moves. When elbows flare outward, the arm moves into greater abduction and the humeral head can ride up toward the acromion, narrowing the subacromial space and increasing impingement on the rotator cuff tendons. Keeping the elbows under the wrists and tucking them in fixes the alignment so the bar travels more vertically with the arms closer to the body. This promotes a stable scapulohumeral rhythm, helps the scapula stay set in a position that supports the press, and keeps the humeral head centered in the glenoid. In short, this cue reduces the tendency to pinch structures under the acromion by maintaining proper elbow and arm alignment during the lift. The other cues either encourage a wider elbow position or shift the bar path in a way that doesn’t address the impingement mechanism and can introduce other risks.